Anchoring Adriaen's Landing

Consultants Urge Science Center-plus

The Patriots never did get here -- and plans for a wax museum, a planetarium and an aquarium went kaput. But the state believes that it finally has found a big-time anchor for the Adriaen's Landing downtown revival project in Hartford.

On Friday, consultants recommended a sort of science center-plus, with a Connecticut River Valley theme covering everything from dinosaurs to the state's industrial heritage.

The center could draw up to a half-million people a year and would offer something for everyone -- old and young, male and female, night owls and early-risers -- according to LORD Planning & Management, the Toronto-based consultants who prepared the report that was submitted Friday. Exhibits would include displays showcasing the Connecticut River, animatronic dinosaurs and simulated helicopter, submarine and space suits.

``It's not the traditional concept of a science center,'' said Ted Silberberg, a principal at LORD, which has offices in 12 countries. ``It's very broad.''

The consultants studied the success of different museums throughout the state and country before settling on a scheme that basically combines elements of several other models.

For instance, the LORD group stayed away from a stand-alone science center after finding that such centers work better when they're wrapped within projects with broader themes, such as the hybrid center that the consultants recommended. The $771 million Adriaen's Landing is expected to include a convention center, hotel, parking and retail shops along downtown's waterfront.

The new center would include some type of a multistory Omnimax Theatre (a domed version of the curved IMAX screen) to help draw families. A similar theater has been a big hit at a new science museum in Cleveland.

The plan -- which also includes a visitors' center -- is intended to connect, rather than compete, with other cultural attractions in Hartford and throughout the region.

``This is something that will help people see how much there is to do in the city,'' said Brendan M. Fox, executive director of the Capital City Economic Development Authority (CCEDA), the state's downtown development arm that commissioned the study. ``It's an outward-looking center.''

Whether the new plan is compatible with proposals to expand the Science Center of Connecticut in West Hartford or relocate it to East Hartford remains to be seen. That level of detail is reserved for the next phase of LORD's work, which will include getting more community feedback and studying potential exhibits that would help attract visitors.

The Science Center's executive director, Linda K. Johnson, said it's too early to say whether the center will be a client of the new complex.

``They opened the door and we're going to work together with them, definitely,'' Johnson said of LORD. ``I think it's premature to make any judgments. If we decided to expand in West Hartford, this is exactly what we would be doing as far as hiring a consultant and [doing the homework]. The process makes sense.''

One East Hartford councilman, Richard Kehoe, said he hasn't lost hope that the Science Center of Connecticut will end up on the East Hartford side of the river, within walking distance of Adriaen's Landing.

``If the state is going to pay for the Science Center construction, it makes no sense to move it across the river [to Hartford],'' he said.

Senate President Pro Tem Kevin B. Sullivan, D-West Hartford, suggested that the Science Center of Connecticut could become central to the Adriaen's attraction, with East Hartford remaining in the picture via a new regional science magnet school.

The new center must be broad and grounded in the region to succeed, said Petr Spurney, a Cleveland-based consultant who is developing a spy museum in Washington.

He said that most cities already have a science center, a children's museum and a botanical garden, which are mainly for residents. What is needed, Spurney said, is something that will draw 60 percent of visitors from out of town.

He also cautioned that the new center needs a catchy name and a tight theme, and it can't be a mishmash that defies an easy description. London's Millennium Dome failed, in part, because no one knew what it was and what to expect, he said.

Some cultural leaders in Hartford breathed a sigh of relief Friday when the report ruled out an attraction that would directly compete with existing city attractions.

``We were watching with some interest as to what they would recommend,'' said David M. Kahn, executive director of the Connecticut Historical Society, which is planning a major expansion near Trinity College with a building designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry. He said that a history-related attraction at Adriaen's would have hurt both plans. ``I'm glad to hear they reached that conclusion as well,'' he said.

Mayor Michael P. Peters declined to comment on the latest proposals. Hartford city Councilwoman Marilyn Rossetti, chairwoman of the economic development committee, said it's smart to remember the Connecticut River in all the planning.